Heart and Home
by RisingStar313
Summary: It is the day before Thanksgiving, and Nico decides to investigate something that's been on his mind for a while now. Whatever happened to Leo Valdez? One-shot


Nico walked slowly through the dark, dingy corridor of his father's palace. The echo of his footsteps was the only sound besides the constant white noise of the moaning dead. When he reached the throne room door, he did not even hesitate to pull it open and charge inside.

Hades looked mildly surprised to see him, not exactly happy, but not disappointed. That was a good sign. They'd been getting along better ever since the end of the war against Gaea. But they weren't exactly pals either, and Nico spent significantly more time at Camp Half Blood now than in the Underworld. But it was the day before Thanksgiving, and Will was home with his family for the holiday, and there had been something gnawing constantly on the edge of Nico's mind that he suddenly felt a need to investigate.

"Hello Father," he said, still taking the arbitrary bow before the throne.

"Nico. What is it you need? I assume that is why you're here." His expression was cool, his voice even, devoid of emotion.

"Not that it isn't good to see you, but yeah. I didn't really want to ask before, since I know how busy you've been for the last few months, but there's something I've been wondering about ever since the war ended." He took a deep breath. "What happened to Leo Valdez?"

Hades sighed. "I was wondering when you would come and ask me that. Unfortunately, I can't be of much help, but I will tell you that he is not here."

Nico wasn't sure whether to be relieved or afraid. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew, but he still was unsure what to make of it. "Then… where is he? How?"

"The physician's cure," his father replied, as though it were obvious. "You were there. You knew that Hazel gave a trick version to that Piper girl, giving Leo the real one. His soul was here, very briefly, though I'm not sure how long, exactly. Not long enough to be conscious of it. Then he received the cure, and he was gone."

Nico took a moment to absorb all this. "He's alive, then? Why didn't he come back to Camp Half Blood? Where else would he be?"

Hades shrugged. "That, I could not tell you. However, it is possible I could try to find him, if you wish. I have a couple of good trackers that are itching for something to do."

"Really?" Then he stopped himself, not wanting to appear too excited in his father's presence. 'Um, I mean… Thank you, Father."

Hades nodded, and Nico thought he may have even detected a hint of a smile. Then the King of the Underworld snapped his fingers, and two hellhounds materialized. Their eyes glowed bright like rubies, less affectionate than Mrs. O'Leary, but not likely to rip him apart. One licked his face, leaving a small waterfall of drool. Nico wiped it off, groaning and wrinkling his nose a little.

"Tinder, Ember, sit." They did. For some reason, it struck Nico as odd that Hades had bothered to name the dogs. He must have had at least a hundred of them running around the Underworld. "Go with Nico. Find Leo Valdez." He turned back to Nico. "Do you have something with his scent?"

He shook his head, looking down sheepishly. Then he got an idea. "Bunker Nine," he said. "That was his workshop. No one else can get in, but we can shadow travel. If his scent is anywhere, it's there."

Hades nodded in approval. "Very well. I wish you the best of luck, son."

The word "son" made Nico jump. "Thank you, Father," he stammered. Climbing on Ember's back, he said, "Let's go to Camp Half Blood. Bunker Nine."

* * *

He'd never been inside the workshop before, but it was more or less like he imagined, only much bigger. Bronze tools lay strewn about all over, with various blueprints lining the walls and covering the tables. There was a gaping hole where the Argo II must have sat as it was being built. In the corner was a desk, piled with pages of notes, half-formed wire creations that looked like the result of too much nervous energy, and several old cans of pop collecting dust. On the far end was a picture of a pretty Hispanic woman in overalls, with grease stains on her face and hands, and a little boy in her lap with curly hair and glowing brown eyes.

Tinder and Ember sniffed around for about 30 seconds, then barked excitedly. "Got something?" Nico asked. They barked again, which Nico took as a yes. "Alright," he muttered. "Here we go." The shadows folded around the three of them as they took off for wherever their mechanic might be.

* * *

When Nico's feet were back on the ground, he stumbled back, slightly dizzy. Wherever they'd jumped to, it was far. The sun was shining over a blue expanse of sea. He was standing on an empty cobblestone patio that jutted out over a cliff. Narrow streets were lined with shops and cafés, with young couples and old friends sipping coffee and watching people go by. Dried herbs hung in windows with flower boxes on the outside of the old stone buildings.

Nico sighed, mildly disappointed. They were in Italy.

The hellhounds barked insistently, turning toward the town ahead. None of the mortals seemed to notice them as they bounded through alleyways, while Nico ran to keep up. It was so warm outside, he had to take off his aviator jacket, slinging it over his arm as he chased the dogs. Finally they stopped in a grassy park, and Nico grabbed onto Tinder's collar before they could run off without him again.

"Wait for me next time, okay?" he panted. The hounds whimpered apologetically, like they understood. Nico walked toward a sign, hoping it could tell him where they were. When he read it, he was caught off guard.

"Valdez," he murmured, "what are you doing back in Malta?"

There was no way it was a coincidence that both times the guy had disappeared, he ended up here. Hazel had told him what happened the first time, how he'd been sent to Ogygia and fallen in love with Calypso. Malta was supposedly Calypso's birthplace. That kind of made sense. So if he was somehow here again…

Tinder pulled at his collar, which was still in Nico's hand. Ember barked, turning his head back toward the sea. Nico climbed up on Tinder's back and nodded. The hellhounds took off even faster than before, knocking over a man's stall that was selling fresh fruits. The man yelled in Italian that Nico was a "rude, insufferable peasant," but he was gone in a flash. He lost track of how many turns they made before they ended up on a beautiful rocky beach, with a clear view of the harbor. Normally he was sure it would be full of tourists, but in the off-season it was almost empty.

Tinder and Embers barked triumphantly, nodding toward a couple at the far end, near a wall of rock. They were facing away from him. The boy leaned casually against the cliff face, seemingly telling a joke, while the girl was rolling her eyes, laughing and skipping stones. Both were dressed in simple t-shirts and jeans, and the tool belt around the boy's waste was unmistakable.

"Stay," Nico commanded the hellhounds as he strode in their direction. The girl saw him first. Her caramel-colored hair was pulled back, and she had big brown eyes, pale skin and full lips. There was no denying how beautiful she was without even trying. She said something to the boy, who turned sharply. He looked bewildered at the sight of Nico coming toward him.

Leo Valdez stood completely still until Nico was less than a foot away from him.

"N-Nico?" he stammered. "How did you—"

Suddenly Nico felt a surge of anger, cutting him off. "Valdez, what were you thinking? Do you have any idea how worried everyone's been? Hazel thinks it's her fault, Piper blames herself, Jason is still waiting for you to come back, and the whole Hephaestus cabin needs you. How could you just up and die like that, and not even have the decency to let them know you're okay?"

Leo just gaped at Nico, as if still drinking in the fact that he was here. "Um…"

He sighed. "You could have at least sent a message or something."

Leo scrunched his eyebrows, looking slightly puzzled. "Wait—how long has it been?"

"More than three months. Almost four. Thanksgiving is tomorrow."

"What?! I've been gone that long?"

"How long did you think you'd been gone?"

Leo shrugged, collapsing against the cliff wall and putting a hand to his forehead. "I had no idea."

"Time is difficult in Ogygia," the girl supplied.

He nodded. "Plus you factor in the time that I was dead… man. We just got here yesterday. I had to fix Festus, and there's a nice cave back there for him to rest in." Leo sighed. "They're okay, though, right?"

Nico nodded. All of his anger had simmered out. "Yeah. Everyone's fine. They just really want you to come back. Jason and Piper won't let them stop hoping."

The girl put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "We could go, if you want. I would love to see this camp of yours. Festus is in working order now, isn't he?"

"I guess so. Oh, and Calypso, meet Nico. Nico, Calypso." Nico nodded at her, and she smiled. Leo turned back to face her. "But are you sure? I mean, there's so much world out there that you haven't seen for so long…"

Calypso swatted him on the arm. "I'm not _that _needy. Besides, I've already seen more new things than I thought possible in one day. Cars, cameras, gelato… don't want to spoil it by getting too much at once."

"But all the way across the Atlantic… that's a long trip. It would take days, and we'd have to refuel somewhere along the way."

"We'll figure it out. You're not the only smart one around here."

Nico felt kind of awkward about it, but interrupted. "We could always use shadow travel. It would be near instantaneous, and I have two hellhounds with me that can help take you and Festus. We'd have to wait until tomorrow, though. They've already made two jumps today. Three is asking a lot."

Leo considered this. He turned to Calypso. "What do you think?"

She shrugged. "Sounds good to me. That gives us some time to look around before we leave."

He nodded. "Then it's a deal. And look, Nico… I'm really sorry. I didn't know how long it had been, honestly. And, uh, thanks for finding me."

"Don't mention it." The two stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, until Nico cleared his throat. "I'm going to grab something to eat, then I might hit the sack. With great power comes great need to take a nap. Meet you back here in the morning."

"Yeah. See you."

As the couple walked away, Nico considered how odd, yet perfectly matched, they looked together. A scrawny, elf-like Latino boy with wild black hair, and a beautiful girl of his same height walking gracefully, almost regally, bantering back and forth. Then he thought of Will Solace, and he smiled.

After finding enough change in his pockets to haggle for some greasy street food, Nico settled down on the beach with Tinder and Ember, unable to deny how exhausted he felt. It didn't take long for him to close his eyes and drift off to sleep.

* * *

When the son of Hades awoke, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. He got up, then whistled for Tinder and Ember to follow him as he trudged over to the cave where Leo and Calypso were keeping Festus. The two were still passed out, Calypso on a foldable cot and Leo on the ground. Nico walked over to Leo and shook his shoulder.

"You ready?"

Leo blinked blearily. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." He yawned. "What time is it?"

"Uh… not sure exactly. Sunrise."

"Mm." Leo rolled onto his back and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry. We didn't get back until a few hours ago." He grinned. "But I will tell you, it was quite the exciting night."

"I'll take your word for it." Nico glanced at Calypso, whose head was turned away. "Should we wake her up now?"

"Too late," she mumbled, rolling over to face them. "Shall we go?"

Nico nodded. "I'll be over there," he said, gesturing to the entrance. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Leo wiggled his eyebrows. "Will do, my man. Time for Leo to come home."

It took roughly ten minutes for the two to pack up their things and climb up on Festus' back. Leo grimaced a little. "I remember how shadow-travel felt that one time, back at the House of Hades. Kind of awesome, but also kind of puke-worthy. How do you manage to do it so much?"

Nico shrugged. "You get used to the feeling after a while. Plus, I can't do it too often, or my energy will fade and I'll die."

"Oh. Well, on that happy note, let's get out of here." Calypso put her hands on Leo waist while he clung to Festus' neck. Nico touched the dragon's shoulder while holding on the Ember's collar. He closed his eyes, bended the shadows, and descended into darkness.

* * *

The good news? They were in New York. The bad news? They were on top of a Speedway.

Festus was able to lower them down, and once the whole crew was standing on solid ground, Leo burst out laughing. Both Nico and Calypso shot him quizzical looks.

"Sorry," he said, calming down. "It's just… I don't know."

Calypso narrowed her eyes at the empty shop window. "What is this place?"

Leo put a hand on her shoulder. "That, Sunshine, is a convenience store, also known as a runaway's picnic."

"What?"

"Never mind. Which way is Long Island?" Conveniently, there was a map posted on the wall, with a little "you are here" dot a few miles away from camp.

Nico turned to Tinder and Ember, both panting contentedly. "I relieve you of service. Thank you." With one last bark and a lick, the hellhounds disappeared into shadows. Turning back to Leo and Calypso, he said, "And now, we fly."

On the way, Leo pulled out a watch from his toolbelt, which told him that it was around noon. Five minutes later, they spotted the unmistakable island of green grass and sunshine amongst the chilly November gloom. Leo looked nervous, and Calypso squeezed his hand.

"They're your friends," she reassured him. "They'll be so happy to see you. And I can't wait to meet them." He nodded, looking a little more relaxed.

"Don't worry," added Nico. "There have been a few changes while you were, uh, dead, but nothing major. There's been a lot of cooperation with the Romans. Oh, and, uh, Jake Mason has been standing in as head counselor for Hephaestus, in case you were wondering."

Leo nodded, unsurprised. They had gotten close enough to distinguish a several campers milling about the field. One looked up and must have seen them, because they ran to the Big House, causing the others to rush outside.

Nico could practically feel Leo's nervous energy as Festus touched down on the grass. As small crowd had gathered, with more still coming. He scanned the curious faces of all the newer kids, the disbelieving stares of the older ones, the mystified looks of some visiting Romans, the desperately hopeful gapes of the approaching Hephaestus cabin. Finally, six campers came sprinting to the dragon, pushing all the others out of the way.

Leo, putting on his most suave grin, slid down from Festus' back and walked forward a few paces. "Miss me?"

Piper McLean was the first to get through. Her kaleidoscope eyes were brimming with tears, and she paused, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to kiss him or slap him. Finally she just engulfed him in a hug.

"Ow—Beauty Queen—crushing me," Leo managed. She pulled away, taking his face in her hands, as though trying to decide if it was real. Then she punched him in the shoulder.

"Four months, Leo? Really? Do you have any idea—I mean, we thought you were dead! You were gone for so long—" The tears were now streaming fully down her face. Finally, she just smiled. "I'm so happy to see you."

Jason came up beside him with a wild grin and pulled him into a bro-hug. "I knew it, man. I knew you'd be back."

Leo chuckled. "Can't get rid of me that easy. Not even death can stop the one and only Leo Valdez."

Hazel, who was also crying, approached him next, along with Frank, who wore the purple toga of a praetor. Even the big guy looked a little misty as clapped him on the shoulder so hard he almost toppled over. Hazel hugged him almost as tightly as Piper.

Finally Percy and Annabeth got their turn to greet him. Annabeth gave him a hug, then Percy clapped him on the shoulder.

With a twinkle in his sea-green eyes, he said, "Glad to have you back, man. At least you're lucky. No one judo-flipped you or anything."

"Yeah… I'd prefer not to get judo-flipped," Leo replied.

Percy's expression then became serious. "But did you ever… you know, find her?"

"Well…" The crowd hushed as Calypso timidly climbed down from Festus. All color drained from Percy's face. Nico watched the two as they just looked at each other, first uncomfortable, then kind of sad.

"Hello Percy," she said, with a small nod.

"Hey." He swallowed. "So…"

"I know." Calypso cut him off. "I have Leo now. You have Annabeth." She sighed. "It's good to see you again."

Percy relaxed a little as the understanding passed between them. His lips started to turn up into a smile. "You too." He gestured for Annabeth to join him, and she slipped her hand into his. "Calypso, meet Annabeth. Annabeth, Calypso."

Annabeth smiled, which surprised Nico. "Nice to meet you."

Calypso smiled in return. "You too. I've heard a lot about you."

Nico slid down silently, fading into the background in his usual fashion. But before he could disappear, someone called, "Nico, wait up!"

He whirled to see Leo beckoning him back to the circle. "Ladies and gentlemen, you should be thanking this guy. He found us and brought us home."

A cheer arose through the crowd. Nico blushed. He still wasn't quite used the whole "popularity" thing, and part of him was constantly expecting everyone to reject him. But as Jason pulled him to the front, and several people patted him on the back, he couldn't help but smile.

Then the mass parted as Chiron trotted through. "Well," he said, with a relieved expression and a twinkle in his eye, "isn't this quite the happy occasion! In all my years, I don't think I've waited so long to see a hero return, nor have I felt so much relief." Turning his gaze, he continued, "And Calypso, my dear, so glad to see you have been relieved of exile."

"You are looking well, Chiron," she replied politely.

He smiled. "Thank you. I'll be sure to have the harpies make places for you both at the Thanksgiving table. Tonight, our feast shall be especially joyful." With that, the galloped off, back to the Big House. The crowd began to disperse, and Leo joined his siblings in a mess of welcome cheers, hugs, high-fives and pats on the back.

Hazel slid over to Nico and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you," she said quietly, sincerely.

He shrugged. "It wasn't too hard, really. I asked Father, since he's finally got all the dead in their rightful places. He told me that his soul was no longer in the Underworld, and gave me some tracking hellhounds. They led me to Malta, and he was there. Turns out he'd only come back from Ogygia yesterday, and we don't know how long he was dead or how much time he spent there, so—"

"Still," she said, stopping him, "You brought him home. I appreciate that. Everyone does."

He squeezed her hand. "I know how hard this has been on you. Have you finally stopped feeling guilty?"

She sighed. "Even now, I wish I could have stopped it. But I suppose there was no other way, was there?"

"The life of a demigod is never easy."

"Ditto." Hazel sighed again. "I might go check on how the decorations are coming for tonight. I have a feeling Piper and Jason will want to do a little catching up with Leo."

He nodded. "Okay. I'll be around."

She jogged off, and Nico was about to retreat to the Hades cabin when he was stopped again, this time by Chiron.

"Nico," he said. "I forgot: there was a call for you earlier. He requested I tell you to ring him back whenever you get the chance. The number is on my desk by the phone."

A call for him? That was new. "Cool. Thanks." Following Chiron's instructions, he walked at a brisk pace to the Big House, and to Chiron's desk. As he said, there was a number scribbled down on the pad by the phone. Hesitantly, he dialed it, and waited.

"Hello?"

Then he broke into a full grin. He didn't even have to ask whose voice it was on the other end.

"Hi, Will."

* * *

At seven o'clock that evening, the whole of camp that had stayed for the school year, as well as the Romans who had agreed to join for the feast, gathered under the dining pavilion. All of the tables had been pushed together into a single line, with Chiron and Mr. D at the end. Nico grabbed a seat beside Jason, and the proceeding order was Piper, Leo and Calypso. Across from them sat Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth and Reyna.

Everyone was chatting excitedly until Chiron pounded the ground thrice with his hoof, silencing the hall.

"Thanksgiving," he said in a booming voice. "Not exactly a Greek or Roman holiday, but an American tradition of which I'm very fond. It has once again been a very difficult year for us all. We have lost many. We have suffered much. But we must also be thankful for what we do have. We won the war. We have had friends returned home to us. We have gained a whole new family with whom we can celebrate. So be thankful, and be glad. Now, let us feast!"

Plates of turkey, potatoes, gravy, corn, and dozens of others materialized on the table. Nico took a small amount onto his plate, then went over to the bronze brazier.

Sliding in a roll and a particularly juicy piece of turkey, he whispered, "Thank you, Father. For everything."

Once everyone was seated back down, they dug in. He couldn't help but take note of the ridiculous amount of potatoes and turkey Percy had piled onto his plate and was shoveling into his mouth.

"It's not blue, but man, it is tasty." Annabeth and Reyna shared a look, then both chuckled softly and started in on their food. "What?" Percy protested. They just laughed.

Piper would occasionally pat Leo's arm and smile. She and Calypso seemed to be hitting it off well. Jason must have sensed some sort of competition from Percy, because he plopped a couple more spoonful's of mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"So," Nico overheard Leo asking Frank, "is this your first real Thanksgiving dinner? Being Canadian and all?"

Nico ate slowly, savoring every bite. Once his plate was empty, someone placed in front of him a slice of pumpkin pie. He looked up to see Reyna smiling at him. He shot her a side-grin back. It was amazing to see the change in her from before the war ended to after. No longer was she shouldering a responsibility designed for two, nor dealing with a devious augur, nor a tired, battered soldier. She still had that regal air about her, but was happier than Nico had ever seen her in the past.

Eventually, the campers started to trickle out, until it was just the nine of them left. Finally, Leo yawned.

"Alright, guys," he said. "Coming back from the dead is kind of exhausting. I think I'll check on Festus real quick, then hit the hay." That triggered everyone else to get up. Calypso had arrangements for a room in the Big House, and admitted that she, too, was quite exhausted. Nico could feel her life energy, and noticed that while it had been way higher than the others before, but had been slowly decreasing as time went on. Now it was about the same as everybody else. He suspected it was her immortality dissolving, which had to be a bit of a shock to her body. No wonder she was tired.

Nico went back to his cabin and relaxed. It was significantly less creepy now that he had redecorated the interior. The weird coffin-like structures had been replaced with brass bedframes, and he had procured some decent lighting and a window. He cracked open a book that Will had lent him, and read for about an hour until Hazel appeared, accompanied by Frank, who kissed her goodnight before departing.

Looking out the window at the silent fields under the starry sky, Nico felt a warmth spreading through his core. _This is my home, _he thought. _This is my family._ And he was very thankful indeed.


End file.
